The recommendations are 3-5 fruits a day and 3-5 vegetables a day, not 3-5 fruits and veggies total. Unless you have a specific medical condition, in which case you should follow your doctor's advice. If the total amount of veggies you eat adds up to a serving, then it counts as a serving. If it only adds up to a partial serving, it counts as a partial serving.

A "serving" of most veggies is about a half cup. So if all your veggies combined together add up to about a half up, count it as one.

There really isn't a down-side to consuming a lot of veggies! The more the better, really. Only caution is with the starchy ones (potatoes, corn, etc.), as the calories on those can add up much more quickly than if you were eating kale, mushrooms, green beans...

Hi there! I was wondering whether the veggies put into an egg omelet counted as a serving of vegetables? Usually I put a half inch slice of green pepper, half inch slice of onion, a whole 2 inch tall mushroom, and one of the breakaway pieces of garlic. If so, are there any negatives to having 4 servings of veggies in a day (along with about 4 servings of fruit in addition)? I know the recommendation is 5 total, but I am a pretty big guy... (6', 240lbs)

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013